The Joys of High Technology

Despite all the years I've been watching the curves going up, computer and network speed still occasionally surprise me.

I just downloaded Cotgrave's 1611 French/English dictionary. 111 Megabytes. Just a few years ago, downloading something that large would have been inconceivable; now, it took just a few minutes. Somewhere along the line, Comcast must have upgraded our pipe, because I just cracked 200KB/sec, which is faster than was theoretically possible when this cable line was first laid...

The Joys of High Technology

Despite all the years I've been watching the curves going up, computer and network speed still occasionally surprise me.

I just downloaded Cotgrave's 1611 French/English dictionary. 111 Megabytes. Just a few years ago, downloading something that large would have been inconceivable; now, it took just a few minutes. Somewhere along the line, Comcast must have upgraded our pipe, because I just cracked 200KB/sec, which is faster than was theoretically possible when this cable line was first laid...

Important Accomplishments at Work

And while I think of it: I'm terribly proud of what I finished this week at work. Oh, not the server engine -- we can talk about that later, once I can talk about the product. No, I mean my K'Nex set.

This was my Christmas present from msmemory last year: the Trampoline Tower, the largest (at least tallest) single item that K'Nex makes. It's a huge Rube Goldberg device, taller than I am. It has six balls, and IIRC six different pathways for them to go down, with flip-flops deciding which way the ball goes each time. There are two trampolines, various things that clack and spin, and a whole lot of track. There's an elevator running from the bottom to the top, driven off of a power cord. And there's a cute little spinning K'Nex flag on top.

I've spent the entire year building this thing, next to the rear entrance to our office; everyone has been watching as it has slowly come together, section by section. (There are 139 separate sections in the instructions.) I finally completed the elevator on Thursday morning, and did the first demos; it did a fine job of distracting folks from deadline pressure for a few minutes.

I've promised to leave it up for at least a week, so the company kids can get a chance to come see it. Afterwards, I'm going to dismantle it, and start to noodle. I've built three large K'Nex kits now, so I have a fair idea of how it works. Time to start coming up with strange devices of my own. I have no idea what my cube is going to look like in a year's time...

Important Accomplishments at Work

And while I think of it: I'm terribly proud of what I finished this week at work. Oh, not the server engine -- we can talk about that later, once I can talk about the product. No, I mean my K'Nex set.

This was my Christmas present from msmemory last year: the Trampoline Tower, the largest (at least tallest) single item that K'Nex makes. It's a huge Rube Goldberg device, taller than I am. It has six balls, and IIRC six different pathways for them to go down, with flip-flops deciding which way the ball goes each time. There are two trampolines, various things that clack and spin, and a whole lot of track. There's an elevator running from the bottom to the top, driven off of a power cord. And there's a cute little spinning K'Nex flag on top.

I've spent the entire year building this thing, next to the rear entrance to our office; everyone has been watching as it has slowly come together, section by section. (There are 139 separate sections in the instructions.) I finally completed the elevator on Thursday morning, and did the first demos; it did a fine job of distracting folks from deadline pressure for a few minutes.

I've promised to leave it up for at least a week, so the company kids can get a chance to come see it. Afterwards, I'm going to dismantle it, and start to noodle. I've built three large K'Nex kits now, so I have a fair idea of how it works. Time to start coming up with strange devices of my own. I have no idea what my cube is going to look like in a year's time...